Kendall's Revenge
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Sledge is gone, but his army's not. Snide attacked Cammy, and by doing so he showed his hand. He's proven he'll stop at nothing to get the energems and I can't hold anything back. I need to be sure my Rangers are ready to throw anything he sends our way back in his face. I'm determined to make him regret ever laying a hand on Cammy.
1. Night of the Date

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. A date to finish off the week; to take Kendall's mind off Cammy who was still home in bed recovering from her attack as well as Heckyl. He felt like the Rangers and especially Kendall were being hit from all sides lately and hoped that a night off would help refocus the purple Ranger. However, just before the date, Chase was trembling as he looked at himself in the mirror. It was suddenly hitting him how much pressure he had put on himself on this first date. It he and Kendall had a bad time, not only would that add to their troubles, but it wouldn't be a good start to what Chase hoped would be a long and fulfilling relationship.

He had been on many dates before. Though his flirting didn't often win him the girl, there were some who agreed to have dinner with him. First dates were easy. He would talk about himself, tell the girls stories about growing up in New Zealand and boast about some of the accomplishments he had made since coming over to the United States. He would talk about his little sister and how he took care of her after their father died. He would go on and on about him.

Looking back, maybe that was why all those dates had failed. Girls could only put up with him talking about himself for one, maybe two nights. Three, if they were exceptionally patient, but usually no more than that.

Those were no loses, though. Despite flirting with the girls in the first place, Chase never got that feeling that told him the relationship would be worth pursuing. When he was dumped, he could shrug it off and move on.

The thought of Kendall not wanting a second date terrified him. Somehow, she was different. Maybe it was because they had been friends first. Maybe it was because he was already going into this date with some understanding of who she was.

Or, maybe, it was because he was in love. Smitten, Riley said earlier that day, when Chase could hardly keep himself on task and set fire to the grill once more. Fortunately, Kendall had taken the day off to be with Cammy, leaving Shelby in charge as part of her education. She hadn't seen the disaster that was a nervous Chase.

Everyone else, on the other hand...

" _Chase, I thought you were focusing on the grill?"_ Shelby had asked him, coming over with a confused look on her face. Part of her training was assigning the staff members to where they would be most productive. She asked Chase to work the grill, thinking she could trust him not to set the place on fire and instead found him on his phone in the dining room, looking up restaurants for his date later that night.

" _I am focused,"_ he replied, only half-listening.

" _Who's watching the grill, Chase?"_ Shelby rushed to the back to see the grill was smoking. When she let out a frustrated cry, Chase snapped up, looking away from his phone to see the dining room filled with a thin veil of smoke. He dropped his phone, jumped out of his seat and begged Shelby not to tell this story to Kendall while he grabbed the fire extinguisher. Not only did he not want to lose his job, but he also didn't want the date to start off with Kendall interrogating him about the state of her cafe.

Fortunately, Shelby promised to keep her mouth shut. Chase was sure it was because she didn't want Kendall to know that on her first day in charge of the cafe a fire almost burned down the kitchen. Either way, Kendall had no idea it had happened and Chase didn't have to worry about that.

Everything else, however, sent him in a panic. He picked up his phone, calling the restaurant again to confirm his reservation, only to be threatened that if he called one more time, they could give away his table. He checked up on the flowers he planned to bring, making sure none of them were dead and that they all looked nice. Then he checked himself in the mirror one last time and wondered if he was wearing too much black.

He decided he didn't want to risk showing up at Kendall's door looking ready for a funeral and walked to his closet. He opened it up and tried to pick out a shirt that would give him a pop of colour but realized all he had were various shades of black and grey.

"Well, that's just ridiculous," he muttered, looking down at himself. What would he do?

Fortunately, there was a knock at his door as Shelby arrived. He had asked her to come over. She had gotten a book for Cammy when the little girl had been in the hospital, hoping it would be something to keep her busy while she rested up. She hadn't yet gotten the chance to deliver it. Since Chase had been asked to pick Kendall up at the Fishers, Shelby wanted him to bring the book by. They both figured that Cammy could use it as a distraction while Kendall was away for the night. Cammy had been very brave since the attack, but it was clear she was frightened and uncomfortable when Kendall wasn't around.

"Do you have a shirt I could borrow?" Chase asked almost before he got the door opened. Shelby nodded her head and reached into her bag, taking out a red shirt.

"I borrowed this from Tyler for you," she said. "I never realized until his and my first date just how much pink I owned and figured you'd have the same problem."

"You're amazing," Chase said as he took the shirt. He slipped it on and checked himself out in the mirror again. "What do you think?"

"She'll hardly recognize you," Shelby chuckled. Chase nodded his head and slipped his jacket on overtop.

"You have the book?" he asked and Shelby pulled it out.

"I loved this one when I was her age," she said. "It's got everything a nine year old could ever want to know about dinosaurs and then some. Hopefully this makes her recovery a little more entertaining."

Chase nodded his head and reached out to take the book. Shelby pulled it away from him before he could touch it.

"You're all sweaty!"

"I'm nervous," Chase answered, wiping his hands on his pants. Shelby raised an eyebrow.

"This is only, what, your hundredth first date since we met," she said. "What do you mean you're nervous?"

"This one's different," Chase muttered and took the book. "Those other dates were just... they didn't... It's just different."

"Be yourself, Chase," Shelby told him. "For some reason, Ms. Morgan likes you too. You've already got that working for you. All you have to do is not blow it."

"What if I make a fool of myself?" Chase asked.

"You do that enough at work already," Shelby chuckled. "Chase, just take a deep breath, count to ten and remember you've got this."

"I do?"

"You know how Ms. Morgan and I were studying last night?" Shelby asked. "In every single example she gave me, she used the parasaurolophus. I even caught her telling me they were carnivores from the Triassic!"

"I thought they were," Chase frowned. Shelby sighed loudly, shaking her head.

"I can't believe I ever thought you were actually a hired worker," she muttered. "Chase, you're a cretaceous herbivore. Your dinosaur ate plants."

"Aw, mate, that's not cool," Chase muttered and Shelby sighed again.

"Anyways, it's not a mistake Ms. Morgan should have made. She's thinking about this date too. She's a little nervous, from what I can tell."

"Does she think it'll go poorly?"

"No, just... go out there and do it," Shelby had to practically shove Chase out the door and then go back to the hallway and put the flowers in his hands. "You'll be fine, alright. Just remember to be yourself."

"Be myself," Chase nodded and made his way to the elevator. "Right, just... be me."

-Dino-Charge-

Kendall walked into Cammy's bedroom, stumbling a little because turning on the lights still hurt Cammy's eyes. She knelt by the bed and gently placed her hand on Cammy's forehead.

"Chase will be here any minute," she whispered. "Do you need anything before I go?"

"Can't you stay here?"

"You're safe, Cammy," Kendall promised her, stroking her hair. "I've increased the sensitivity of the sensors especially in this part of town. If a vivik so much as puts his little toe within a hundred yards from the house, my Dino Com will let me know and I'll be right back. You won't even know there's trouble, I promise."

"What about Heckyl?"

"I... he's a little tricky, Cam," Kendall admitted. "Somehow he's got human DNA. I can't set the sensors to track him without setting them off for every person who lives here, including you. But I promise, you're safe."

"But... but..."

"Koda downstairs anyways," Kendall said. "Jon's gonna teach him poker. The worst thing that's going to happen tonight is Koda's going to lose a lot of money. Alright?"

"What if Jon finds out he's a caveman?"

"Then that'll be the worst thing," Kendall chuckled. "Heckyl won't come near this place. Not with Koda around and me at your beck and call."

"Promise?"

"I wouldn't leave if I thought otherwise," Kendall said. "So, anything else before I go?"

"Are you nervous?" Cammy asked with a little smirk. Kendall nodded her head.

"Very. But I'll tell you all about it in the morning, alright? Sleep tight," she kissed her sister's forehead after tucking her in. Once she snuck out of Cammy's room, trying not to make too much noise as she closed the door, she saw her father coming down the hall.

"Jon, go easy on Koda tonight," she said. "There aren't playing cards where he's from."

"I'll go as easy as I can," Jon promised her. "But if he's going to learn, he'll have to lose a few hands."

"He just wants to play with the guys," Kendall said. That had been her excuse for having Koda over for the night while she was out. The other boys would play cards after the cafe closed and Koda would feel left out because he didn't know the game. Jon was always willing to teach beginners so Kendall asked her father if Koda could come by while she was out. "Don't take all he's got."

"We won't bet cash," Jon promised her. "Is Cammy..."

"She's doing better," Kendall said.

"And how are you? You know, the lucky guy is going to be here soon. Any nerves?"

"I've gone to the bathroom three times already," Kendall nodded her head. "I haven't felt this nervous since... moving in."

"We liked you, so will he," Mr. Fisher smiled. "After all, _he_ asked _you_ out, didn't he?"

"Yeah..."

"So you already know he likes you. Besides, it's Chase. You've know each other a while, right?"

"Is that supposed to be easier?"

"Depends on how you do it," Mr. Fisher said and then chuckled when Kendall jumped at the sound of the doorbell. "If it helps, I can give the father speech. I've been dying to do the father speech..."

"It's fine," Kendall said and made her way downstairs to greet Chase at the door before her father could embarrass her.


	2. A Nice Night

_Author's Note: The bonus scene: Something Beautiful has been handed out. I wanted to thank my reviewers again for their amazing support and their kind words._

Kendall found herself laughing harder than she had in months, maybe even years as Chase told her a story from back home. She knew that he missed his family and loved whenever he got the chance to tell stories of his parents and his sister. She felt the best way to get to know him better was to ask questions about the things she couldn't learn from their daily interactions. Any one of the Rangers could say how much he loved his skateboard or that he preferred to do his work and his chores in the museum in the way that required the least amount of effort, even if it ended up taking him a bit more time. Any one of the Rangers could say that though he could pass as a semi-knowledgeable museum employee to the guests and cafe customers, Chase had very little interest in the history of life. In fact, other than the physical description of the parasaurolophus, Chase couldn't say anything about his own Ranger dinosaur.

Anyone could pick up on his accent and say he was from New Zealand (if they didn't confuse the accent for an Australian or British accent first). Anyone could guess that he was proud of his home country, but since he spent so much time in the United States, that he was also happy to be living abroad.

Kendall wanted to know more. She was new to romantic relationships, but she knew it involved a deeper understanding of the person she was with. Asking him about his family, about his childhood, would give her a better insight to who he was.

Fortunately, Chase thrived whenever he got the chance to speak of himself and he had plenty to say. However, Kendall noted that he lit up the most whenever he mentioned his little sister Chloe. Though the story he was currently telling involved how much she annoyed him and how she ultimately ended up ruining his science project the day it was due, he couldn't wipe the smile from his face or hold back a laugh when he told Kendall that Chloe's best apology was _"I'm sorry, I just thought a rainbow would make it better."_

"She sounds like a sweet kid," Kendall said while Chase wiped the tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. He nodded his head.

"She is. She's only ever wanted to make people happy. It's hard to stay mad at her for stuff like that."

Kendall couldn't help but agree. Cammy wasn't always the easiest person to have hanging around the lab. While some days she was less of a burden than the Rangers, others served to remind Kendall that Cammy was still just a curious, energetic kid. Damaged chargers, lost papers, broken beakers and books being used for castle walls were a source of frustration, but usually only for about a minute before Kendall's heart melted again. She couldn't fault Cammy for being a kid, especially when the first eight years of her childhood had been so rough.

"I know you miss her."

"I do," Chase nodded, his mood dropping a little bit. "And it's hard, but what I'm doing here... it needs to be done. Saving the world means keeping her safe. That's why I do it."

"You're not worried about going back?" Kendall asked. "That she'll be mad at you?"

"She is," Chase answered. "I know she's not happy with me right now. She doesn't get it. But if I've learned anything from you it's that I've got to be patient."

"From me?"

"Well, your parents. Your foster parents," Chase said. "Actually, what do you call them now? I never know what to say."

"My parents, I guess. Just parents," Kendall leaned forward a little at the table, still curious about Chase's comment about her. "But why?"

"Well, I don't want to offend or confuse you or something."

"I meant why did you learn to be patient from me?"

"Oh," Chase shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I know your parents wanted to adopt you but couldn't and you were mad. You didn't understand why, right?" Kendall shook her head. Chase smiled. "But they were patient; they never held it against you and let you come around on your own. I think I'll try that with Chloe. I'll let her see that in spite of what she might think, I do actually always have her back."

"You think that'll work?"

"Well, unless I can tell her about being a Ranger," Chase said with a little laugh. "But that might just give mum a heart attack. Though, I guess Chloe is pretty good with secrets."

"No matter how good she is, I'd still wait until after we've saved the world," Kendall told Chase, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Then I... can tell her?"

"I don't see why not," Kendall nodded. "The danger will have passed, the energems will be in safe hands and if that's what it takes to keep you and your sister close, I'd be fine with it. Ultimately, the decision will be up to you at that point, anyways."

"That... that's really comforting," Chase smiled and leaned back in his seat. "Thanks, Kendall."

Kendall flashed a little smile right before the waiter came back with the bill. She reached for it out of habit. She was used to paying for everything either because it was museum or Ranger related and she had the funds to provide or because she was on her own and there was no one willing to pay. Not to mention, between the two of them she made a lot more money and had a lot more money than Chase. However, just before she got her hands on the bill, he snatched it up and reached for his wallet.

"I'm traditional," he said. "I hope you don't mind."

Kendall was a little reluctant at first. She knew what Chase made and knew this dinner would take a pretty good chunk out of his paycheck. He had already waited so long for her to simply decide on whether or not they should date, she didn't want to burden him with the bill too. But Chase handed over his credit card with a smile and Kendall felt a warm feeling rush through her. She realized it was nice to have someone look after her and be happy to do it. She thanked Chase for the meal as they got up from their table to leave.

"So, uh... what about you?" Chase asked her on the way to the car. "I kind of talked a lot about myself back there and... well... uh, anything you want to say?"

"Nothing interesting," Kendall shook her head. "You already know my story. It's not exactly worth telling again."

"I don't know it all," Chase said. "I mean, I have no idea what it was like for you moving in with the Fishers."

"It was... different, I guess."

"How?"

"I just wasn't used to being in a home like theirs. It took some getting used to."

"You're really not making this easy on me," Chase chuckled and stood in front of Kendall's door at the car. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "What took some getting used to?"

"Having two parents, to start," Kendall shrugged. "I mean, I have some memories of mom and dad living together but I was still young when dad took off."

"Must have been tough," Chase said and Kendall looked up, a little surprised by his comment and somewhat taken aback. Normally when people found out she was in a good home with the Fishers, they would assume she had it easy. She had parents that cared about her, so it must have been nice. She had two parents to look after her instead of just one, so that must have been nice. She had a stable home where she could depend on both a mother and a father, so that must have been even better.

No one, ever, had acknowledged how difficult it had been for her to transition from the home she knew into the Fisher's. It was just four words, but Chase had been able to validate for her how hard it was to suddenly have two parents in her life who cared about her homework and about what time she went to bed or whether she had a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Chase had acknowledged in those four words how frustrating it was for Kendall to learn to unload some of her problems and her insecurities on her foster parents.

It wasn't a quick transition. Kendall wasn't suddenly happier because she had good parents. If anything, worst time of her life was when she first moved in with the Fishers because it was so new, so unfamiliar and so terrifying. Kendall didn't know what to make of her new family, or of a father that didn't seem to want to leave and a mother that cared. She had no idea what it meant to have a brother or even be a sister. She didn't know that if she stayed up past her bedtime, her parents would catch her. She also had absolutely no idea how to handle making a mistake and having her parents immediately forgive her for it. She was so used to her mother screaming at her and blaming her for her troubles, that parents who simply told her it was okay threw her off.

She had no idea what to do when she felt so confused by it all and just wanted to scream – and the Fishers let her. She remembered losing her temper with them one night after dinner when they insisted she do Jeremy's chores because he wasn't feeling well. She screamed at them, called them names, and insisted they were favouring him because he was their real son. They didn't punish her for it. They didn't yell back. They waited for her to calm down and then explained themselves, their family rules and assured her it was okay for her to get angry. She remembered them telling her how she could handle her tantrums in the future and that if she ever did feel frustrated with them, they were willing to listen to her and work something out.

"It was," she said to Chase softly.

"But you're happy with how it worked out, right?" Chase asked her. "I mean, in the end, it was worth it, right? Or do you still kind of wish you had your mom around?"

"I..." Kendall paused, looked down at her feet and shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I haven't figured that out yet."

"That's interesting," Chase said. "I guess there's really no answer to that, huh?"

"No," Kendall shook her head. Chase shrugged and then opened her door.

"Cool. So, anywhere else you want to go?"


	3. It's A Girl

Mrs. Fisher knew she didn't have to wait up for Kendall to come home. Her daughter was twenty-six years old. She could take care of herself. However, age didn't matter to Mrs. Fisher. Whether her daughter was six, sixteen, or twenty-six, she would always be there for her. This date was just like any other first date for a young woman and a mother wanted to be part of her little girl's first date.

Since there was no curfew, Mrs. Fisher wasn't sure how long she would have to wait up for. All the good TV shows were over and everything she had recorded from the week had been watched. She was stuck with crappy late night shows and infomercials by the time the door finally opened. She stifled a loud yawn, not wanting Kendall to think her coming home late had been any type of inconvenience. If anything, it bode well for the date that she was coming in after midnight.

"So?" she asked as she walked into the hallway, startling Kendall.

"Good grief, Bella," Kendall whispered, keeping her voice low because she knew that at this hour Cammy and Koda were asleep. Her father she wasn't sure about, but given the rest of the house was dark she could imagine he had turned in for the night as well. "You're still up?"

"I thought maybe you would want to talk," Mrs. Fisher nodded her head and then realized from the look on Kendall's face that maybe phrasing it like that would make her feel ambushed – like Mrs. Fisher wanted to catch her daughter in the hallway to force her to talk. So she lied, just to make Kendall feel a little more at ease with sharing. "And I couldn't sleep."

Kendall shrugged her shoulders. She was wiped. She had a good night out with Chase and had enjoyed herself a lot but her body was telling her now that it was time for bed. Mrs. Fisher pressed on, though, "So, how was it?"

"It was good," Kendall answered, keeping her answers short. Not that there was much else to say. She had a good time.

"Where'd you go?"

"We went out for dinner then a walk through the park."

"What'd you have?"

Kendall frowned. What did that have to do with the date? Why did her mother care about the food she ate?

"I had fish. Salmon."

Mrs. Fisher could see she wasn't getting anywhere with her daughter and sighed, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Kendall shrugged her shoulders. A bunch of questions did come to mind, but she wasn't sure where to start. Nor was she sure Mrs. Fisher would want to hear them all in the middle of the night.

"Well, did you have a good time, at least? Was Chase a gentleman?" Mrs. Fisher asked and Kendall nodded her head. "Do you think something will come of this?"

Again, Kendall gave a nod but there was some hesitation. Mrs. Fisher chuckled.

"My first date with your father was like that," she said and Kendall gave a little frown.

"Like what?"

"Odd. I liked it. It was good and he was nice and all but... It's a little scary, isn't it? Now, I'm not saying Chase is the one, but the thought of being with someone for the rest of your life is enough to give anyone the chills."

"I don't believe it," Kendall said and her mother furrowed her brow.

"But it's true. I didn't know what to make of the first date. Obviously it worked out but..."

"I meant spending the rest of my life with someone," Kendall said. "I don't believe in it. Or, rather, I don't think I do. I just... I don't think its right for me."

"Did something happen?" Mrs. Fisher asked. "Did Chase..."

"He didn't do anything," Kendall shook her head. "I can't believe in the long-term stuff."

"Well, why not?" Mrs. Fisher asked and invited Kendall in the living room. The two of them sat down and Kendall looked nervously to her hands.

"There are too many variables," Kendall said. Mrs. Fisher took in a deep breath and Kendall picked up on the cue. If she spoke too technically, she would lose her mother. While Mrs. Fisher had always been good in academics, to the point where she had been able to help Kendall with her homework through high school, she was still nowhere near Kendall's level and the terminology had never stuck with her. When she did do homework with her daughter, it was less of her teaching her daughter and coaching her through the work and more so using both their heads to figure out the problem and come up with a solution. "There's too much I can't predict," Kendall said. "For the rest of my life is supposed to be a long time."

"It is," Mrs. Fisher nodded. "Your father and I have been together for thirty-five years and let me tell you that sometimes it feels like it's never going to end."

"That doesn't freak you out?"

"Sometimes," Mrs. Fisher admitted. "I've done thirty-five years with one man. If I'm lucky, I'll probably get about another thirty or so more. That's enough to get you thinking on the harder days."

"My parents didn't even make it to ten," Kendall sighed. "And they lasted longer than a lot of other couples."

Mrs. Fisher had to ignore the sting in her heart when Kendall spoke of her parents. The Morgans weren't her parents – not where it mattered. Still, she let it go. She knew what Kendall meant.

"Some people aren't meant to be."

"I know that," Kendall nodded. "I know that well. That's not the part that scares me."

"So what is?"

"How do you know? How did you know that Jon was the right one? How didn't mom know that dad wasn't."

Mrs. Fisher had to think for a moment. The question was a tough one and the answer wouldn't reassure her daughter at all. However, she realized there was nothing else she could say.

"You don't."

"Exactly," Kendall answered and Mrs. Fisher realized she had walked right into that one. Kendall already knew the answer, she was just looking for confirmation – someone to validate her doubts and potentially give her a reason to call off any plans for a second date. "You don't know when you go into it whether it's going to work out or not. You and Jon are lucky but my parents... it ruined mom when dad left and I don't want that to happen to me."

"Ah," Mrs. Fisher smirked and found where the problem lay. "I see. You believe in fate."

"I... what?" Kendall frowned. She wasn't exactly spiritual or religious by any means. In almost all cases, she needed proof of something in order to believe it existed. She wouldn't rely on faith or belief. However, with some cases it was unavoidable; her job for instance. While there was a lot of proof of what life was like before humans and before information could be recorded, no one currently alive had been there to see it. A little bit of faith had to go into their discoveries and their ideas. After all, they couldn't say with complete certainty that everything they knew was as they claimed it to be. So far, the Tyrannosaurus-Rex was at the top of the food chain. However, there were plenty of fossil sites that hadn't yet been uncovered, and many more that couldn't. Antarctica was a continent that was supposed to be full of fossils, yet the ground was so frozen and the conditions were so harsh it was impossible to dig anything up. On that site or elsewhere around the world where fossils were still hiding could be proof of an even bigger, stronger carnivorous dinosaur with an appetite for the T-Rex.

Even more, fossils were fragile. It took specific climates for bones, footprints, and even dung to be preserved. Since those conditions weren't always met – in fact, it wasn't often they were met – a lot species of animals had gone extinct without leaving so much as a trace for later discoveries.

Science was a field that required a lot of proof. Yet, despite that, there was still some measure of belief that was required. Kendall had to believe in her work and in the work of other. Only, unlike religious, science could be proven wrong and beliefs would change.

Not to mention, there were a lot of things in the world that couldn't be explained by science. Belief played a little role there in her life.

However, her belief in fate was almost non-existent. At least, in the way her mother put it. She, in no way, believed that two people were meant to be and that was it. Statistically speaking, she was sure that for every person there were a number of potential suitors. After all, people managed to fall in love, get married, have kids, then divorce and do it all over again. If there truly was just one person out there for everyone, falling into deep love over and over again wouldn't exist.

"You believe in fate. You think your father and I were meant to be."

"No," Kendall shook her head. "I... I don't think I do."

"Jon and I work at this," Mrs. Fisher said. "Some days, it's really easy. Other days, it's not. I have days I want to marry him all over again and others were I want to wring his neck. What your parents had was more of the latter. But that's not to say they weren't compatible."

"You think?"

"When Jon and I are going through a tough time, we talk to each other. It may take a while, but we keep communicating."

"You work at it?"

"When times got rough, your parents stopped trying. Your father took off and your mother tried to numb her pain."

"You're saying they stopped trying?"

"Do you know something I don't?" Mrs. Fisher asked and Kendall shook her head, thinking back to the night her father had taken off.

" _Where the hell are you going to go?"_

" _Somewhere far enough so that I don't have to hear that whiny, bitchy ass tone of yours ever again!"_

" _You can't just leave, Tom! We have a daughter together..."_

" _So what? I never wanted her anyways!"_

" _You take another step, and I'll sue you for all you're worth! Between alimony and child support, you won't have a dime to spend on yourself, you ungrateful, cheap ass bastard!"_

" _Now who is the one name calling in front of the kid? You can't take anything from me, Amy. Because of you, I've already got nothing!"_

" _Well, that's all you've ever done for this family!"_

" _Family? You call this a family? All I see is a fat ass cow and a kid that doesn't do anything!"_

" _Tom!"_

" _She's flunking first grade, Amy! What else do you want me to say? Do you want me to lie to her face and get her hopes up for nothing?"_

" _Kendall, upstairs!"_

She had run upstairs, but she could still hear her parents yelling.

" _Don't you ever speak like that in front of your daughter again."_

" _You seriously think I'm coming back?"_

" _I hope you don't! We're better off without you!"_

" _That's rich, Amy. What the hell are you going to do? Get a job? You can't do anything!"_

" _Get out! Get your sorry ass out of my house right now, you fucking bastard!"_

" _What do you think I'm doing?"_ Tom yelled and just like that the door slammed and Kendall didn't see him again for another twenty years.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she shook her head. Mrs. Fisher pulled her into her arms.

"I didn't mean for this to get serious, honey," she said gently as she held her daughter. "I just can't stand the thought of you giving up on love because your parents didn't know how to make it work. I'm not saying Chase is the guy for you. I'm not saying I expect you to fall in love and get married. I just don't want to see you miss out because you're scared."

She pulled away to look at Kendall with a smile.

"Chase, does he make you happy?"

Kendall nodded her head. Mrs. Fisher's smile grew a little wider.

"Did you have a good time with him tonight?" again, Kendall nodded. "Do you think this is something you're willing to work for?"

"Chase?"

"Mhm."

Just the thought of the black Ranger made Kendall smile. "I like him, Bella. I think I like him a lot."

"So, is there going to be a second date?" Mrs. Fisher asked and when Kendall nodded her head a little squeal escaped her lips. She saw the blush on Kendall's face in response and tried to settle down a bit. "Sorry, I'm just, so excited for you!"

"Me too," Kendall admitted as she continued to smile. "Even if it's about the scariest thing I've ever done."

"Chase seems like a good man," Mrs. Fisher assured her. "And, you know what, if this doesn't work out, your father and I will still be here. We've been broken up with and we've done the breaking up thing. We can walk you through it. Either way, you're not alone."

It wasn't that Mrs. Fisher didn't mean those words. Of course, she never wanted to see her daughter hurt and hated to think that if the time did come for her first heart-break, she couldn't help. But she didn't expect the reaction she got from Kendall. Those last three words seemed to stick; like she hadn't just heard them, but truly felt them. Kendall looked up at her mother and Mrs. Fisher could just feel the bond that had been made.

"I know," was Kendall's answer and it was maybe the best thing Mrs. Fisher ever heard. She gave a bright smile, kissed her daughter's forehead and then went up to the bedroom. When she crawled into bed, Mr. Fisher rolled over.

"Kendall's home?"

"She had a good time."

"Did you two get a chance to talk?"

"We did," Mrs. Fisher answered and even in the dark, Mr. Fisher could see his wife's smile.

"We've got a daughter," he responded.

"We've got _our_ daughter," Mrs. Fisher confirmed.


	4. Confrontation

Shelby hadn't been able to control her nerves throughout the entire tour. Her hands were a little shaky and she was stumbling over her words. Facts were getting jumbled up in her mind and the group of high school students she was leading around had laughed at her once or twice. It wasn't that she wasn't confident in herself. Since she was a child, the one thing she had been told by her parents, her aunts and uncles and her teachers was that she never lacked in confidence. What troubled her was how much she had riding on this tour.

It had been a week since she had approached Kendall with the idea of pursuing her studies at the museum. She would learn about business and paleontology all at once, pleasing her father and her own dreams. Kendall, to Shelby's surprise, had been more than willing to work with her and had given her the chance of a lifetime. Shelby was to assist in running the cafe, with the idea of taking over in a couple of months' time and do all the hard, boring work that came with the paleontology field. In exchange, Kendall would let her do the so-called _fun_ side of fossil discovery which was the actual digging and analyzing part.

Really, the deal only benefited Shelby. She got the education, the chance to prove herself and the chance to live out her dreams, but she wouldn't complain. This was all she wanted and more.

This tour was the make-all, end-all. If Shelby did well, she would get to help Kendall with the _fun stuff._ She would have proven she was ready, fit, and willing to put in all the effort required. If she failed, she doubted Kendall would keep her end of the bargain.

As she ended the tour and let the students make their own way to the gift shop, she turned to Kendall. The purple Ranger had followed them around and had to correct Shelby's facts and explanations a couple of times. Shelby was worried that wouldn't bode well for her, especially since Kendall's face had remained neutral the whole tour. Was she that unimpressed?

"So?" Kendall asked and Shelby gulped, shrugging her shoulders.

"I studied real hard, Ms. Morgan," she insisted. "I know I messed up a bit but..."

"We all do, Shelby," Kendall said, smirking a little bit. Shelby was sure it was because she was happy to see her fail. "We get nervous, we say the wrong thing. I've done it. It happens."

"If you just give me another shot..."

"You've got a tour coming in tomorrow," Kendall said. "This time, it's university students."

"I... Are you serious?"

"You know what you're talking about. Clearly you've put in the work. You presented facts and ideas and stayed away from opinions. You handled the students' questions brilliantly. I don't see why I shouldn't let you take over a few more tours here and there. Over time, your nerves will calm and you'll really be able to shine."

"You're giving me another chance?"

"You've earned it," Kendall nodded. "Now, of course, the tour is low on your list of priorities. The cafe..."

"It's doing well," Shelby nodded. "I've made up the schedule for next week. I wasn't able to save any hours, though."

"Do we have enough hands for the work?"

"We do. I even added an extra staff for the lunch rush. Just in case... well, six of us need to pop out real quick. I know that adds time but trust me, the other employees will really appreciate it. And happy employees mean happy customers, right?"

"You are right," Kendall nodded, checking the time table on her tablet. "The schedule does look good. What about the orders?"

"I'm uh... probably going to need a hand with that," Shelby admitted. "I'm not quite sure what to order... or when to get it shipped in."

"Chase can help you there," Kendall said and passed her clipboard to the pink Ranger. "I have to duck out."

"You do? But..."

"Cammy's got a doctor's appointment and I promised I'd take her. She's nervous about leaving the house after what happened."

"I hope she feels better," Shelby said. Kendall nodded her head.

"Me too."

-Dino-Charge-

Kendall gripped the steering wheel tightly as she parked her car in her parents' driveway. Cammy was in the backseat, trying to get some sleep. The doctor had confirmed that Cammy was recovering, but it was slow. Her head was still constantly sore, she was tired at all hours of the day and she couldn't stand having the lights on inside the house. It would be a couple more weeks of suffering for the little girl before she was able to start on getting her life back to normal.

And it had all been going so well. Before Heckyl, Cammy was getting As in school, she was making friends – she was a typical nine year old. Anyone who met her now never would have guess she grew up in a single parent home with an alcoholic mother. No one could have guess her mother killed herself and her foster parents died in a car accident.

It was all going well and then Heckyl and Snide had to strike. They had to attack her, a nine year old girl. Cammy didn't have an energem. She didn't have access to them. Any codes she knew within the lab were just to get past basic security, just for emergencies. The other Rangers knew them as well and Kendall had done it that way on purpose so Cammy could never be a target.

There was no reason to hurt the nine year old, never mind launch an attack that should have killed her. If Snide was going to fight that way, Kendall knew she couldn't hold back.

She got out of the car and opened Cammy's door. Despite the sunglasses and the overcast day, Cammy groaned when she had to open her eyes.

"Just a little more," Kendall said and helped her walk into the house. Their parents were waiting in the living room. Mrs. Fisher was quick to take Cammy upstairs to her room while Mr. Fisher stayed back to ask Kendall about the appointment.

"Anything we need to know?"

Kendall shook her head, handing over the note from the doctor with the care instructions. They were pretty much the same as before but anything new had been explained in detailed.

"Kendall, she'll be okay," her father said when he saw the distant look in Kendall's eyes. They had all taken Cammy's injuries to heart, each feeling guilty over what had happened, but it was tenfold for Kendall. She should have been in the lab with Cammy. She never should have left her alone.

She couldn't talk about it with her parents. They couldn't know. It would be too much for them. When she did try to talk to the Rangers, they always told her the same thing: it wasn't her fault.

But what did they know? Cammy wasn't their responsibility. It wasn't them she had been depending on for safety. It wasn't them Cammy should have been able to trust.

"I've got to go," Kendall said and before her father could ask her to stay for dinner, she took off. He watched her get into her car and felt his stomach churning. He was scared she was going to do something stupid. Glancing back at the house, he knew his wife would be busy with Cammy. She would take care of their youngest. Someone else needed to keep an eye on Kendall.

Taking his own car, he followed Kendall, keeping enough distance so she wouldn't notice him. If he knew her well enough, and he hoped he did, she wouldn't be looking back for him anyways. When she set her sights on something, she always stayed focused on her goal.

She led him to the outskirts of town, parking off the road near a forest. There, she got out of the car and started to walk the path. Mr. Fisher watched and couldn't help but notice she had what appeared to be a yellow gun in her hand. He frowned as he got out of the car and followed her into the forest. This was not the Kendall he knew.

Further ahead, Kendall made her way through the forest, following the trail she remembered seeing down in the lab when it was discovered that some of Sledge's prisoners, Fury, Poisandra, Wrench and Snide had survived the ship's crash. She knew the location of the crash and based on the bio signs she could tell that was their command center. It was where Snide and his monsters retreated too at the end of a long battle.

She had considered storming the base when the Rangers returned to Amber Beach, but there were far more aliens than Rangers and none of the weapons or upgrades she had would be strong enough to hold them off. For now, Snide seemed content to have the monsters continue to challenge the Rangers one at a time. She would take advantage of that. But now that he had attacked Cammy, things were a lot more personal.

The woods were large and thick, but she reached the other side relatively quickly. She ducked behind a tree, trying to get a good look at the ship and its surroundings before she stormed in. She also wanted to come up with a plan. She didn't care for the other monsters – she wanted Snide or Heckyl or both. She wanted them to pay for how they hurt Cammy.

Just as she thought she was ready to go, something dropped from the sky, bursting when it hit the ground. Kendall covered her face as the heat radiated from the source. When it began to cool down, she looked again to the clearing and saw a new monster had appeared.

"Dammit," she muttered and tightened her grip on her morpher. She covered herself behind the tree a little more, watching as the monster made its way towards the ship, only to be met halfway by Snide, Fury and Wrench.

"Who is that?" Wrench asked, but Snide didn't seemed concerned with the identity of the newcomer. Instead he held out his sword, the one he had used to attack Cammy.

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't slice whoever you are into smithereens?"

"You shouldn't do that," the new monster answered confidently, "If you want the energems."

Kendall hand went to her chest and wrapped around the purple energem. "Dammit," she muttered again. "Another one?"

"How does he know about the energems?" Wrench asked.

"Rumour has it that they're loose on this planet," the new alien said, taking Snide's blade and gently pushing it aside so he could move in closer. "And that you're willing to partner with anyone who can bring you one."

"What makes you think _you_ can get an energem?" Fury asked, pushing his way into the new monster in hopes of intimidating him. Kendall knew Fury had always relied on intimidation to try and get his way. He wasn't much for thinking his plans through and often settled on using his power and control over the other monsters. However, this didn't work on the newcomer. He didn't flinch as Fury stood toe to toe with him.

"Oh please. I travel in a burning asteroid. Need I say more?"

"I like what I'm hearing, Fury," Snide said, pushing the big cat out of the way. "These Rangers may be about to meet their match!"

Kendall took a step backwards. Perhaps now wasn't the time to take on Snide. Certainly doing so alone wouldn't get her anywhere. He had Wrench and Fury with him. Both seemed loyal. And this new monster had traveled possibly light-years looking to work with Snide. She wasn't likely to get anywhere close to Snide alive.

Or so she thought. Just before she turned around to leave, Snide commanded the others wait for his orders in the ship. He said he had plans on introducing the new stranger to the others and that Fury and Wrench were to show him to his new cell. The three of them walked off, leaving Snide behind. Once they were back inside the ship, Snide turned to where Kendall was standing and he looked right at her.

Suddenly, he transformed back into Heckyl, without taking his eyes off her. Kendall tucked her energem back inside her shirt before she revealed herself.

"You came," Heckyl smirked and gestured to the ship. "Welcome to my home. Pardon the mess, I wasn't expecting company."

"I trusted you," Kendall said and Heckyl noted the hurt in her eyes. The smirk slipped from his face.

"That was a mistake."

"Going after Cammy was a mistake," Kendall growled. "How could you?"

"That... wasn't my intention," Heckyl stated, quick to his own defence. "You see, when the other guy takes over..."

" _You_ were in the lab!" Kendall shouted. " _You_ brought him there!"

"All I want is the energems. As for Snide, he's a little... ruthless..."

"She's nine!"

"He doesn't care about that."

"And neither do you."

Heckyl took a deep breath. He should have been enjoying this. Kendall was here before him, infuriated, ready to make the biggest mistake of her life. The purple energem hung from her neck and he knew that if he let Snide take over, he could steal it from her in minutes.

Yet, this wasn't fun for him. Knowing he had hurt Kendall, even if it had been Snide's actions, pained him. He wished one of the other Rangers had come. He would have enjoyed their anger, their hurt so much more.

"Maybe she didn't deserve what she got," Heckyl said. "But it's not like you didn't have this coming."

"Excuse me?"

"You weren't the only one who was betrayed."

"And how exactly did I betray you?"

"The black Ranger?"

"And what about him?"

"You know," Heckyl growled. "My intention may have always been to steal the energems, but what we had..."

"You manipulated me! You kidnapped me!"

"I loved you!" Heckyl shouted and his hands began to glow. Kendall held up her morpher, placed her Charger in and morphed quickly. Heckyl rushed her, turning into Snide just before the two of them collided.


	5. Mr Fisher's Discovery

Mr. Fisher was conflicted between his fatherly instincts and his instincts to run.

On the one hand, just a few feet away from him stood a monster so powerful, only the Rangers had been able to hold him off. Snide's name was beginning to make its way around the city as the newest and strongest threat to date. It was all over the news, the papers, and flyers around the city that if Snide was in the area, everyone was to take cover. Even the police were asked not to challenge him.

On the other hand, Snide was in a one-on-one battle with his daughter. Every fatherly fibre of his being was telling Mr. Fisher to jump in and protect Kendall. Even if he had seen her morph. Even if he knew she was a Ranger and had the resources and the strength to hold Snide off, Mr. Fisher wanted to keep her safe.

Suddenly, the ground shook and the purple Ranger wasn't enough to keep Snide at bay. Taking a blast to the chest, she stumbled backwards before landing on her knees. A kick sent her backwards to the ground and her suit disappeared, leaving an unarmed Kendall looking up at the monster. Despite being on the losing end of this fight, Kendall didn't look ready to give up. She growled, hatred fueling her body, keeping her going as Snide leveled his sword at her chest.

"He'll be sad to see you go," Snide taunted, lifting his blade. Kendall just looked to Snide. She knew her next move.

"It's too bad," she said. "He was special to me."

A glow emanated from the side of Snide's neck. He dropped his sword, trying to resist the transformation but it was too strong. Kendall crawled backwards, getting enough distance from Heckyl just before he appeared. She sat up; looking to him, knowing her words had reached him the way she wanted them to.

"It's not too late," Heckyl told her, extending his hand. "Hand over the energem and we can work something out."

Kendall wrapped her hand around the purple energem, seemingly to rip it from her neck. Her Plesio Charger was drained; she had no reserved power left. However, the source of all her powers was still as strong as ever. She managed to morph once more and before Heckyl knew what hit him, she fired a barrage of blasts.

When the shots settled and the smoke cleared, Heckyl was on the ground, wounded. He couldn't stand; he could barely look up as a pool of blood started to form around him. However, his eyes did meet Kendall's as she powered down.

"You... you..."

"That was for Cammy," she told him.

"Master Heckyl!" Fury cried, rushing out of the ship after hearing the explosions from inside. He was quickly by Heckyl's side and seemed ready to continue the fight in his honour, but Heckyl grabbed his ankle.

"Leave her," he growled. "Can't you see I need help?"

"But I can..."

"Get me inside!" Heckyl shouted and Fury obeyed, helping Heckyl to his feet and rushing him to the ship. Kendall watched them go and knew this was a moment neither she nor Heckyl and Snide would forget. She also knew they had another alien helping them in their quest.

Heckyl would be out for revenge. Snide had already proven he was ruthless enough to attach a child. Fury was persistent and powerful and now this new monster seemed confident he had the strength to take the energems from the Rangers.

She thought of the Charger she was working on now – how it would serve to give the Rangers more power. She thought about how it still wouldn't be enough. She needed more. She needed one Charger with the strength of seven. One Charger that had all the power the Rangers would ever need.

"Kendall, let's go!" she suddenly heard her father's voice and was pulled from her thoughts. She saw him rushing out from the woods and frowned deeply. How much had he seen?

"Jon?"

"Quick, before those other monsters come out," he said and pulled on her arm. "You can't do this alone!"

"Jon, what are you doing here?"

"We'll talk about that at home," Jon said then stopped and shook his head. "No. Bella can't know. This'll kill her."

He turned to Kendall and she could see the fear and urgency in his eyes. "You have a secret base, right? A Ranger command center or something like that?"

"I have a lab..."

"Where?"

"The museum. But Jon..."

"Let's go, before they come back," Mr. Fisher said and dragged Kendall away. He drove her back to the museum in what was possibly the most silent car ride either had experienced. Once they were there, Kendall slowly led the way to the Dino Lab, limping as she went. Mr. Fisher couldn't help but notice her injuries and think back on the other times he had seen her in such a state.

"All this time," he whispered to himself. Kendall walked him to her office. There, she accessed the door behind her bookshelf, leading to the lab. She invited her father down first before she went in after him.

Mr. Fisher took the slide down and when he was in the lab he couldn't stop himself from looking around in awe. It was like something right out of a movie – Jurassic World, maybe, given the dinosaur bones and the technology inside the lab. Kendall was right behind him and made her way over to the center of the lab, her work station. There, she pulled a first aid kit out from the drawer.

"How long?" Mr. Fisher asked her as she started to tend to her own wounds. He wanted to help, but he had no idea where to start. This was all so new to him.

"How long for what?" Kendall asked not to be difficult, but because she wasn't really sure how much she knew. If he wanted to know how long she had been a Ranger, that was just a couple of months. If he wanted to know how long she had been working with the Rangers, that was over a year.

If he wanted to know how long she had been searching for the energems, the answer was almost two years now.

"All this," he said and Kendall knew he wanted to know everything.

"Two years," she said. "Give or take a couple of months."

"Two... two years? But the purple Ranger... All the Power Rangers..."

"Our priority is finding the energems," Kendall removed hers from her necklace and set it down on the table so her father could see. "Fighting those monsters is just a consequence of that."

"Energems?"

Kendall nodded her head. "They're powerful stones brought to Earth by Keeper, my mentor, in an attempt to keep them out of Sledge's hands."

"Sledge was the green, armoured monster, right?"

"He was," Kendall answered. "With Fury's help, he sent his prisoners down to Earth, hoping he could steal the energems from us. But we destroyed Sledge."

"That was just before Christmas," Mr. Fisher said.

"Unfortunately, Snide and Heckyl have taken Sledge's place. And with two energems still left to find, our mission's not over yet."

"And you're part of this because..."

"No one knows more about energems than me."

"Why? Why you? Why not... some other alien?"

"Keeper knows enough," Kendall stated. "But I've been studying them in order to understand and harness their power. I know how they work, why they work, and what they're capable of."

"And here I was thinking you were some kind of dino expert."

"The energems bonded with the dinosaurs back when they roamed the Earth," Kendall nodded her head. "The reason we can morph into Rangers is because the energems allow us to access the spirit of the dinosaurs, granting us unbelievable power."

"Yours is the Plesiosaurus? That's why you love them so much."

"That was a coincidence," Kendall stated. "You'll remember, my fascination with them began before you and I met."

"Lucky, then."

"Jon, I know this is a lot to take in, but..."

"You mentioned Cammy back there," Jon interrupted. "Does she know about all this?"

"She found out on her own. Back when she was fostered by the Goldbergs. But Jon, I swear, if she hadn't found out, I never would have let her get involved with any of this."

"So that monster back there. He's the one who hurt Cammy?"

"This lab is supposed to be safe. I left her here to help out the others. I never thought..." Kendall turned away from her father and looked down at her hands. She had beaten Heckyl, gotten some measure of revenge against him for what he had done to Cammy and yet her guilt was still as present as ever. Mr. Fisher looked to his daughter, around at the lab, then back to Kendall. He made his way over and placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"It's okay," he said, looking to her softly. "Just, explain everything to me. From the beginning."

Kendall shook her head and moved away from her father. "The less you know, the better."

"Kendall, I want to help..."

"That nearly got Cammy killed!" Kendall shouted. "If Snide went after her, there's no telling what he'll do to you or Bella or... anyone else!"

"But Kendall..."

"Just, get out!" Kendall pointed to the elevator. "And don't breathe a word of this to anyone."

"Kendall..."

"Out!"

Mr. Fisher sighed and turned to the elevator. He called for it and as he waited he looked to his daughter, then around the room again. He still had many questions, but he was sure he had a fair idea of what was going on. He also knew he wanted to help in any way he could.


	6. The Ranger Team

After finding out Kendall's secret, Mr. Fisher was pretty sure he had a good idea of who the other Rangers were. Kendall really only hung out with a specific group of people, so it had to be that they were all part of the same team. At the very least, he figured they too would have an idea of what was going on.

He didn't leave the museum after Kendall kicked him out. Instead, he made his way to the cafe where the others were all working. Ivan came over to serve him, but he wasn't hungry. Instead, he asked Ivan to lean in a little closer.

"We need to talk."

"What about?" Ivan asked. Mr. Fisher didn't know how to bring up the Power Rangers subtly. He didn't want to alarm the Rangers with what he knew. At the same time, if they weren't the Rangers, he didn't want to plant any ideas in their heads. He looked Ivan over quickly, hoping for a clue, when he read his name badge. Ivan's favourite dinosaur seemed to be the pterodactyl.

" _No, Jon. A pterodactyl is a flying reptile, but it's not a dinosaur. The gold Ranger's dinosaur isn't really a dinosaur,_ " he remembered Cammy telling him on the car ride to the museum after school.

Pteradactyl: gold. If Mr. Fisher was right in his suspicion, then Ivan was the gold Ranger.

"Pteradactyls aren't dinosaurs," Mr. Fisher said. Ivan looked to Mr. Fisher with a frown. What was he talking about?

"I was not aware of this," Ivan answered. "However, they are my favourite reptiles from the..."

"Cretaceous," Mr. Fisher said. "They lived with dinosaurs, but they aren't dinosaurs."

"Fascinating," Ivan nodded his head. "Would you perhaps like to order..."

"You didn't pick the pterodactyl because of the gold Ranger, right?" Mr. Fisher asked and studied the way Ivan responded to his questions. So far, it seemed in favour of him being the gold Ranger, so Mr. Fisher pressed on. "I mean, you did come to town around the same time the gold Ranger showed up."

"It is merely a coincidence," Ivan tried to assure him.

"Did you bring the energem with you, or find it in town?" Mr. Fisher asked and noticed the brief look of shock on Ivan's face before he tried to play off like he had no idea what was going on.

"An energem? What is that?"

"Yours is gold, right? That's how you turn into the gold Ranger."

"I..." Ivan looked around to be sure no one could overhear their conversation and then sat down with Mr. Fisher. "How do you know about the energems?"

"I followed Kendall out into the woods," Mr. Fisher explained. "I saw her morph. I saw her fight that Snide monster and... was it Heckyl?"

"Lady Kendall was... She was with Cammy for an appointment."

"It was after she came back," Mr. Fisher explained. "She's the purple Ranger. You're gold, right?"

"I... I will be right back," Ivan rushed away from the table, pulled Chase aside and they both went into the kitchen. Moments later they were back and sat down again with Mr. Fisher.

"How much do you know?"

Mr. Fisher looked to Chase's name tag: Parasaurolophus. He remembered seeing their display in the museum. They had the horns on the top of their head. Cammy described them as dinosaur unicorns, but Kendall argued that the horns were extensions of the nasal cavities. Either way, the black Ranger's helmet had a similar shaped horn.

"The Rangers get their powers from energems, which bonded with dinosaurs. Ivan's gold, you've got to be the black Ranger and Kendall's purple."

"And..." Ivan pressed but Mr. Fisher wasn't sure what there was to add, until he saw Ivan casting quick glances Chase's way and then remembered Chase and his daughter were technically dating. It was likely Chase would want to know what Kendall had just been up to, hopefully to help keep her safe.

"I followed Kendall out to the woods after Cammy's appointment. I saw her morph. I saw her fight that Snide guy and Heckyl."

"Snide?" Chase frowned, leaning in a little more. "You saw... Kendall fought Snide? Alone?"

"I didn't mean to find out about any of this. And I promise I can keep a secret. I'm just... worried about her, alright?"

"Lady Kendall is a fine Ranger," Ivan said, but Mr. Fisher shook his head.

"Heckyl or Snide or... one of them attacked Cammy. I know that much," Mr. Fisher explained. "We all feel badly for what happened but... Kendall's not been herself lately. I just worry."

"Kendall fought Snide?" for Chase that was all that mattered. Not that Mr. Fisher was suddenly aware of the Rangers identities, but that Kendall, by herself, without anyone else knowing, had been in a fight with Snide. He got up from the table, leaving Mr. Fisher with Ivan and rushed down to the lab. He saw Kendall working away on a Charger, likely trying to both give it more powers and take her mind off what had just happened. He made his way over to her, took the Charger from her hand and before she could protest, he frowned.

"Why the hell didn't you call for help?"

"I told him to forget about this," Kendall growled and started to leave, but Chase grabbed her arm.

"We made a deal, Kendall. Someone gets attacked, we call for help. That was on day one," he reminded her. "That was your rule."

"I didn't get attacked."

Chase looked her up and down. It seemed like she had already tended to herself, but the bruises and scratches were still visible.

"You're not doing this. I won't let you."

"Chase..."

"I get it. She's nine. If he had gone after my sister, I'd want to tear him a new one too," Chase said. "But you can't fight him alone."

"Cammy's going to miss another week of school because of him," Kendall frowned. "She can barely get out of bed. Any kind of light aggravates her headache..."

"She'll get better, Kendall. And when she does, she'll need you around."

"So I can do what?" Kendall asked. "Leave her unattended in the lab again?"

"If you had known..."

"It's my knowledge he stole," Kendall said as tears came to her eyes. "He knows about the lab because of me. He knows who Cammy is because of me."

She turned to her workstation, looking at the results of the scan she had just completed before Chase showed up. "We need to up our game, Chase. We can't just sit back."

"When have you ever just sat back?" Chase asked with a little chuckle. "Ms. Morgan, you work harder than anyone else here. You're always upping the game. You're always..."

"Keeping up. Sledge found a new power, I found a way to counter it. But that's not enough. With Snide and Heckyl and this new monster..."

"New monster?"

"Some... candle alien," Kendall nodded her head. "But I could tell, he'll be a challenge for us. We're not safe anymore, Chase."

"We never were. That's why we have the suits..."

"That's not enough," Kendall shook her head. "Snide agreed to work with this new monster, that's one more threat for us to think about and... I think I made things worse with Heckyl."

"By fighting him alone?"

"I think... I led him on. I thought we were just friends. He... didn't."

"I can't say I feel sorry for the guy," Chase shrugged his shoulders. Kendall looked up at him.

"What?"

"Well, the entire time you two hung out, he was trying to get information out of you. If Snide was the monster who was inside your head, and Heckyl and Snide are the same person, then you two were... well, intimate."

Kendall shuttered at the thought. Chase chuckled again and placed the charger back in her hand.

"He was inside your head, Kendall. I hate to say it, but he probably learned a lot more about you than you would have ever willingly shared with anyone. And let's face it, you're both... asocial."

Chase saw the way Kendall glared at him and put his hands up. "Him in the worst way possible and you... it's just a character trait. But either way, you have that in common and..." Chase sighed, trying to come up with the best way to put his thoughts. "Heckyl must have seen something in you he's never seen in anyone else, ever. I know I did. Now he's losing that and it's his own fault for being a complete arse in the first place."

Kendall chuckled. Chase smiled.

"Cammy needs you to keep doing what you're doing. To fight this fight in a way where we win," Chase reminded her. "You can't go off after Snide or Heckyl hoping to even some score. You're going to lose."

"I won."

"Barely," Chase pointed to her bruises. He then walked in closer, glancing over her shoulder to see what she had been working on with the Charger before he interrupted. Kendall noticed his curiosity and figured it was best to explain.

"We need more power," she said and placed the Charger in the transmuter. "Ideally I was going to create a new mode for everyone, but after fighting Heckyl and Snide myself, and knowing there's a new threat out there, I think it's better if we harness all that power into one Charger – one Ranger."

"You're not fighting them alone, Kendall."

"Not me," Kendall shook her head. "Though I will be conducting the tests, this Charger isn't for me."

"Then who?" Chase asked.

"After the tests are complete, I'll calibrate it to work with Tyler's energem. With it, he'll have access to all the power he needs. Hopefully, that'll send Heckyl and Snide and anyone else running the other way."

"Tyler?"

"His is Charger number one. I figured that was the best way to be fair."

" _You_ numbered the Chargers," Chase reminded her with a little chuckle.

"Before I met any of you."

"You know, I won't tell anyone if you decided to play favourites," Chase said as he put his arms around her. "Let's blow everyone's minds and have the black Ranger get the new toy."

"And let you face Snide, Heckyl and whoever else on your own?" Kendall asked.

"You don't want to see anything happen to me?"

"To anyone."

"Yes, but especially me?" Chase pressed and Kendall started to blush. That wasn't the reason she had planned on giving the new Charger to Tyler, but it had crossed her mind when she was trying to decide who would get the upgrade. She couldn't very well hand it to herself. More often than not, she was needed in the lab. On days she was on the battlefield, she liked to keep an eye on the Rangers and on how the battle was progressing. What would she need to do for the next fight to make it a little easier on the team. If she was leading the Charge, she wouldn't be able to do those little surveys.

She thought of giving the Charger to Koda. He was the strongest of all the Rangers and could handle the added strength with little stress to his body. However, the thought of putting her closest friend front and center when Snide had already proven he wouldn't show mercy to a nine year old terrified her. When she thought of Chase, she had the same feeling.

Chase chuckled when he realized what the blush on her cheeks meant. "You're not playing favourites with Tyler. He's just the one you're willing to throw to the wolves."

"I wouldn't ask any of you to do anything if I wasn't sure you were safe doing it," Kendall insisted. "I will be testing this Charger out before Tyler gets his hands on it. By the time it's ready for him to use, it'll be guaranteed to work."

"But just in case..."

"I'm not playing favourites," Kendall insisted and looked directly at Chase. "I can't afford to play favourites."

"But if it came down to it, you would rather Tyler stand in the line of fire than, let's say... Koda?"

"I... would... not."

"We all have best friends, Kendall."

"I don't see you all as best friends."

"Just Koda. And, well, me."

"Believe it or not, Chase, I view you more as... children."

Chase feigned a hurt look. He knew what Kendall meant. When it was just him and Koda, she referred to the two of them as children all the time. Between having to teach Koda about the modern world and Chase being... well, himself, he could understand her reason for the comparison.

"Children?"

"You're messy, you're whiny, you're impulsive..."

"I'm not the one who tried to take on Heckyl and Snide by myself today."

"Tyler gets the new Charger because he's red and his number is one. That's final."

"If you say so," Chase smirked and leaned in, kissing her cheek before he headed to the elevator. "By the way, you might want to talk things over with your father. Considering he's onto us, it might be a good idea to give him all the facts."

"That didn't work out so well with Cammy," Kendall muttered. "The less he knows the better."

"You really think his ignorance is going to stop Heckyl or Snide?" Chase asked her. The elevator doors opened. "Cammy knew to call you because she knew what was going on. If anything did happen to your father, wouldn't you at least want him to know what to do? Just in case?"

"I don't want anything to happen to him."

"He already knows, Kendall," Chase said and held the door open for her. "Let's fill him in, alright?"

Kendall sighed. She really couldn't argue Chase's logic. Her father was no safer because of his ignorance. No one was, if she was honest with herself. But now that he knew the truth, it was better to be honest with him than to have him poking his nose where it didn't belong. She just hoped his knowing wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass like it had with Cammy.


	7. Kendall's Truth

Technically she was breaking her own rule. The first thing she told all the Rangers when they acquired their energems was that they were to keep their identities secret, even from their families. The less people knew, the better it would be for everyone involved.

How ironic was it that the two people who did know were her family? However, she had never told either of them; so technically, she wasn't breaking her own rule.

It was confusing, to say the least. More than that, though, it was uncomfortable.

After a long day of work in the lab, Kendall didn't plan on going home. Instead, she drove to her parents' house. Her mother was working late that night so it would just be her father and Cammy. With the little girl still spending most of her days resting in bed, Kendall would have her father to herself. They could talk and she could fill him in on what he needed to know. Since he already put the pieces together and knew about the Rangers, she had to believe it was best for him to have the full story.

She brought her energem and a few Chargers with her. Her energem hung around her neck, but instead of being tucked inside her shirt like usual, she had it out. It was the first thing her father saw when she walked into the house.

"Can we talk?" she asked him and he invited her into the living room. She sat on the love seat, playing nervously with her hands while her father just looked to her. It seemed he didn't know if it was okay to talk about it. She hadn't announced that she was coming.

She took her energem off her necklace and offered it to her father. He took it, inspecting it.

"This is what those monsters are attacking the city for?"

Kendall nodded her head. "It's an energem. There are ten in total."

"And all the Rangers have one?"

"In their respective colours," Kendall answered. "Just under two years ago, I met Keeper. He's supposed to be guarding the energems. However, 65 million years ago, he lost the energems. He trusted them to the dinosaurs but when they went extinct, the energems disappeared with them."

"So, this Keeper fellow's been looking for the energem since the dinosaurs were around?"

"More or less," Kendall said. "He's actually been looking for help. He destroyed Sledge's ship, so he knew he would have some time. He wanted to find someone – a team, I guess – who could help him locate the energems and keep them safe until they were all found. I guess I was right for the job."

"But you weren't the purple Ranger until just a few months ago."

"The Mesozoic is my field of study," Kendall said. "I understand the geography of the time, I know the way the continents have shifted over time and what that means for the fossils. I have a deep understanding of the dinosaurs that bonded with the energems. Their behaviours, their diets, their reproductive habits. All of those factor in to where we could find the fossils that house the energems."

"But why you, specifically? I mean, why couldn't he pick someone else?"

"I can also design and build the technology that can be used to track energems, as well as weapons that can hold Sledge and any other aliens off if they try to take the energems for themselves. And, I didn't have any... distractions. My work was my life. The only other thing I had going at the time was the museum."

"I see."

"Shortly after, I discovered Koda."

"Discovered?"

"The caveman thing isn't an act. Koda bonded with his energem in the Pleistocene. He says he found the energem just before defending his brother from a sabre-tooth. When he tackled the cat, they both fell off a ledge. He was frozen in a glacier until recently when, on an exhibition, I discovered him and one of the other scientists accidently let him thaw. The energem bonded to him for his courage and his heart. It kept him alive all these years."

"Koda's a real caveman?"

"You don't age when you're bonded to an energem," Kendall explained. "So he's physically around twenty years old and he will remain that way as long as he's bonded with the blue energem."

"Blue?"

"I met Chase a few months later. He bonded with the black energem in New Zealand and said it brought him here. For a long time it was just Koda, Chase and myself. We were keeping track of Fury, who was stuck here on Earth and searching for an energem. In that time, we discovered the pink energem."

"Shelby, right?"

"She came later," Kendall said. "With Riley and Tyler. They're the core five. Fortunately, I had them all at the ready when Sledge and his army made their way back to Earth."

"So... your job is fighting those monsters and finding energems?"

"Our first job is finding the energems. Once we do, we have to keep them safe. I'm not sure what Keeper plans on doing when we have all ten, but my focus now is locating the two remaining energems and keeping the Rangers safe."

"And what's Cammy's part in all this?"

"It's exactly what I told you. She found out back when she was living with the Goldbergs. She knows who the Rangers are, she knows about the Lab, I've kept nothing from her. But Jon, I swear, I've done my best to keep her away from anything dangerous."

"I know," Mr. Fisher nodded his head. He would admit he had his doubts at first. He had to wonder what adult would ever allow a child to be part of such a dangerous mission. But as he thought about it more, it began to sink in for him that Cammy wasn't stupid and the Rangers identities were obvious once a few details were known. Cammy spent so much time at the museum and with Kendall that she was bound to pick up on something. She was also inquisitive. She would ask questions and demand answers.

And, just like her recent accident, if she happened to find herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, she could see something she wasn't meant to see. Mr. Fisher knew Kendall loved Cammy. He knew she cared for her little sister deeply and understood Kendall would do to any length to keep Cammy away from harm.

Kendall breathed a sigh of relief, hearing her father understood she never intended on any harm coming to Cammy. Her biggest fear, far beyond her parents finding out, was losing her little sister.

"So what else is there?" Mr. Fisher asked and Kendall shifted in her seat. There was so much more to say. Her father deserved to know it all, but she also didn't want to overwhelm him.

"Ivan joined a few months after Tyler, Shelby and Riley. He was a knight of Zandar 800 years ago and bonded to his energem when he defended his Prince from Fury. When he bonded, he was trapped inside Fury until he was reunited with the gold Energem and broke free."

"So, Ivan's a real knight?" Mr. Fisher asked. "And Koda's a real caveman? That's quite the team."

"Try teaching them to be waiters," Kendall chuckled lightly, rolling her eyes. Her father smiled briefly before leaning in.

"What about... isn't there another one? A grey Ranger?"

"Graphite," Kendall nodded. "That's Prince Phillip."

"Of Zandar? The same guy Ivan protected?"

"Prince Phillip is the current Prince," Kendall answered. "He spends most of his time overseas, but has the means to fly at a moment's notice and can be in town in less than half a day if needed."

"He doesn't stay to help?"

"He found his energem in Zandar," Kendall explained. "There's a possibility that another energem could be found there. He's also got a country to run and people to protect. Our enemies know of Zandar and could easily attack his kingdom."

"I guess that works," Mr. Fisher said uncertainly. "So, that just leaves you then? Purple?"

"What do you want to know?"

"What does it mean to be a Ranger?" he asked. "Do I need to worry?"

"I take every precaution to ensure the safety of the Rangers."

"And yourself?" Mr. Fisher asked. "Kendall, honey, you went after that monster guy alone. At his base. Is that... something you do often?"

"My primary role is designing weapons and upgrading the Rangers' battle gear," Kendall said. "I work in the Lab to ensure that we keep up with the new threats."

"Keep up?"

"Or stay one step ahead, especially now," Kendall said. "Sledge is gone, but his army's not. Snide attacked Cammy, and by doing so he showed his hand. He's proven he'll stop at nothing to get the energems and I can't hold anything back. I need to be sure my Rangers are ready to throw anything he sends our way back in his face. I'm determined to make him regret ever laying a hand on Cammy."

Kendall presented the Chargers she brought along to her father. "This is how I plan on doing it. These are Dino Chargers. They harness the power of the energems and allow the Rangers to use them for various weapons and modes. Currently, I'm working on a new battle mode that will give one Ranger the power of all the weapons we have in our arsenal, and with it, the strength of the other Rangers."

"You plan on cutting your team down to one?"

"I plan on giving one Ranger the strength of all his teammates, without depriving the other Rangers of their powers."

"And what about you?" Mr. Fisher asked. "Kendall, this all sounds great but... You talk about the other Rangers, how you're looking out for them, how you'll give them new weapons. But if that's your job to look out for them, who's making sure you're safe?"

"My team," Kendall answered a little smile on her face. "They've got my back."

Mr. Fisher looked to his daughter, first a little unsettled by her answer. For the other Rangers, she had weapon designs plotted out and running through her head. She was thinking ahead, trying to predict what they would need to fight safely and to maintain their advantage. She was doing all she could to ensure they returned from the battle field safe and sound.

She did all the work: the planning, the building, the worrying. Yet, Mr. Fisher couldn't see who would take care of her. Who would make sure she was rested, so that if she was called to battle, she would be alert enough to fight? Who would make sure she remembered that though Snide had attacked Cammy, facing him one on one would be the stupidest mistake she could make.

But as he thought of the friends she had made in the museum – the friends who were also Rangers – he remembered that it was because of them he had his family. They had managed to accomplish in one year what took him and his wife twelve. They earned Kendall's trust. He had no idea how they could do it. He was sure a few scary run-ins with monsters pre-purple-Ranger days had helped them out, but whatever it was, they managed to open her up.

Kendall didn't just look out for her teammates because she felt responsible. She genuinely cared for their well being. When she spoke about keeping them safe, Mr. Fisher had noticed a look of fear in her eyes. It wasn't guilt – like a good boss would feel if they let down their employees, or like a coach who promised their team that if they tried their best, they would be able to make it to playoffs. Kendall was looking out for them because they were her friends. She liked them – all of them. She didn't want to see anything happen to them.

His daughter being a Power Ranger terrified him. Of course it did, and he was sure there wasn't a single father of a Ranger out there who, knowing their child's identity, wouldn't be scared. However, being a Ranger was a lot more than just dangerous missions. Being a Ranger had instilled in Kendall a sense of trust in others that she never had before. Not as a child, not even when she had been living with the Fishers or for the years after she had left them.

"I'll help however I can," he promised her.

"All I need is for you to keep a low profile," Kendall told him. "Keep life as normal as possible. The less Snide and Heckyl think you know, the safer you should be."

"That sounds fair," Mr. Fisher nodded. "But if something does happen? Like you said, Snide went after Cammy. I doubt he'll hesitate to hurt me if it comes down to it."

"He'll be stupid to even think of touching my family again," Kendall said. "But if he comes anywhere near, you'll have this," she pulled out from her pocket a Dino Com and gave it to her father. "You'll be able to reach me in the Lab as well as all the Rangers. Call for help, someone will show up."

"I'll do it," Mr. Fisher took the communicator and shoved it in his pocket. Then he smiled at Kendall, "I'm proud of you."

Kendall smiled back, "Thanks."


End file.
